TIL I was butterflying my brick joints all wrong for 8 years

I used to always do a smooth, almost polished finish on my joints with a jointer. Thought it looked clean and professional. Then I worked a job with an old mason named Pete outside of Columbus 3 years ago. He watched me for like 10 minutes, then came over and told me I was basically sealing the mortar too tight, making it more likely to crack in freeze-thaw. He showed me how to brush the joint open with a stiff bristle brush after tooling to expose the aggregate. I was skeptical but tried it. Now I do every job that way. Has anyone else had a similar wake-up call on joint finishing?

3 comments

3 Comments

ivan5221mo ago

Learned that same lesson on a job site back in Michigan a few years ago and never looked back.

dakota7871mo ago

and i swear once you learn that lesson it sticks with you forever. @ivan522 i remember reading a story online about a guy who got mild hypothermia just from a few hours outside without the right gear and it was a real wake up call for me too. it's wild how fast the body gives up when you're not prepared for the cold. gotta give respect to the weather up there, it doesn't mess around.

jamesrivera1mo ago

Gotta say, Michigan winters are no joke. I had a buddy who ignored the cold weather rules and ended up with frostbite on his ears. You learn quick up there, or you pay for it.